1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in magnetic tape player systems and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an apparatus for compatibility between a reel-to-reel tape system and a magnetic tape cartridge player system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the evolvement of the magnetic recording tape industry, there have been many innovations and changes. In the early stages of the magnetic recording tape development, magnetic signals were impressed on the tape, and the tape was stored on a first reel, moved across a magnetic sound head for transducing and amplification, and collected or wound around a take-up reel. Whereas, by and large, the results of this reel-to-reel tape system have been quite satisfactory, during the course of time, different systems were developed which rendered the use and transporting of the tape more facile. For example, tape cartridge have been developed wherein the entire length of the tape is contained within a housing or cartridge. Some of these cartridges encase relatively small reel-to-reel type magnetic tape systems, with the overall size of the cartridge being relatively small for insertion within a compact magnetic tape player. Other types of these cartridges have been developed wherein an endless magnetic tape is stored within a cartridge-type housing which is generally somewhat larger than the reel-to-reel type cartridges, but still considerably smaller and compact than the older real-to-reel type systems.
These last mentioned tape cartridges has come into very extensive use, and the magnetic tape player or magnetic tape deck which is designed particularly to accept these magnetic tape cartridges having the endless tape therein are so designed that the tape in the cartridge is driven by means of a spindle or capstan mounted in the tape player, and which is contacted by a roller in the tape cartridge. The drive means circulates or moves the tape from a reel, across a window or aperture in the leading end of the cartridge, whereby when the cartridge is inserted into the aperture of the tape player, the tape will be in operating contact with a magnetic sound head system, the tape being pressed against the head by suitable means.
As hereinbefore set forth, there has been widespread usage of these cartridge tape players, not only for permanent installation in homes and the like, but also in motor vehicles, or other portable installations. The tapes generally are eight track, adapted to play a number of pairs of tracks. Suitable means is provided in the tape deck or tape player for detecting when the end of the tape, or the splice in the tape, passes a third aperture of the cartridge, and when this happens, suitable movement of the sound head from one pair of tracks to another pair of tracks is automatically achieved.
However, there have been many reels of tape recorded prior to the advent of the cartridge tape playing systems, and which were recorded on the conventional reels and played on machines which provided the two spindles for carrying the storage or supply reel and the take-up reel. Since the reel- to-reel tape system is not compatible with the cartridge system, it has become desirable to provide some adapter means by which the cartridge tape player may be adapted to handle the reel-to-reel tapes in such a manner that the reel-to-reel tapes may be played through the electronics of the cartridge tape player or tape deck.